It's official. I'm ready for football.
Or is it this: It's official, I'm done with baseball.
It's one of the two and it's both. Both of my teams -- the Twins and Rockies -- have been unofficially eliminated from their respective playoff races, so my attention is shifting to football, particularly the Wyoming Cowboys and Green Bay Packers.
At this time of the year I'm usually juggling my team interests, so I guess this makes it a little less complicated. Of course, that's not to say that if the Twins or Rockies or both went on this miraculous run and got back in the race, I'll jump back on the bandwagon. Realistically, though, it won't likely happen.
That's not to say that I won't continue to be a fan of either team despite the tough times. That will never change. I've gone through many seasons of down times with the Twins from the time I was a youngster to now. Just not lately.
Part of being a true fan is to stick with your team through thick and thin. I'll still do that. But it won;t quite be the same, so I'll concentrate my efforts on football. Not only has the NFL and college kicked things in gear, but the high school season will soon be under way and that will suck me in as well.
***
If I could find something positive about my car is breaking down again, it would be this: I have to take it into the shop Tuesday at 8 a.m. Normally, I'm still in dreamland at that time, but it needs to be done, so the sooner the better. Because I'll be up, there will be no excuses to not head over to War Memorial Stadium for the first Cowboys' scrimmage at 8:45 a.m.
It will be a good chance to check out the quarterback battle, especially with the fact that I have not been able to see them perform as of yet (I missed the spring game so I didn't get to see Brett Smith then either).
Who knows, maybe I'll even get my sportswriter blood flowing ... at least for a couple of hours.
***
Just a little note on my wife, Teresa. Her physical therapy is coming along and today she was able to sit in a wheelchair for two hours, following up a one-hour sit the other day. Nothing is guaranteed in the future, but she continues to work hard. We're optimistic that this will lead to her coming home one of these days.
***
One more thing. Does anybody have a Droid Pro cell phone from Verizon? I'm trying to save a picture from a text and I can't figure it out. It's of Teresa sitting in her chair today and I want to post it on Facebook. If you have any ideas, drop me a line or give me a call.
Thanks,
Your's truly, technology illiterate Rich
Monday, August 8, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
For the latest on UW football practice ...
Wyoming media: "Knock knock."
UW fooball coach Dave Christensen: "Who's there?
Wyoming media: "The media."
UW football coach Dave Christensen: "The media who?"
Wyoming media: "The media who want to watch a whole practice and talk to your freshmen quarterbacks."
Somehow, I thought there was going to be a better punch line.
Or how about this: "I think I'll go drive by the Wyoming football practice today."
I know what you're thinking, don't quit your day job just yet.
For many, Christensen's lockout of the media for a majority of the Cowboys' practices is no joke. There's only so much you can report on during stretching exercises and warming up.
In this modern sports reporting world, Twitter reports of every good play and every injury in practice are going to have to wait at UW football practice. Therein lies the problem for the modern sports reporter; if there's not 30 Twitter posts a day, the reporter is not doing his/her job. Damn you Twitter, anyway.
The media can come back after the practice to talk to Christensen, his coaches and most of his players (other than the freshmen quarterbacks).
That was the case about halfway through last season, during spring ball and late Thursday afternoon for the Cowboys first official practice of this season. Just what did the media learn from the first practice that they couldn't see?
"I think our athleticism really showed up today," said Christensen. "We obviously have a long way to go, but I was pleased with the tempo we practiced at today. I got a chance to see a lot of the young guys for the first time, and there is a lot of promise there.
"Our veterans have had a tremendous off season, and I think their leadership showed in their practice habits today. We are a relative young team, I think we have 60 or so kids who are sophomores or younger, so we have a number of young players -- not just freshmen -- who we need to have good camps.
"My first impressions for the first day, were positive, but it's certainly easier to see where players are at when you start putting on pads. We will be able to tell a lot more after Monday."
And what about the two freshmen QB's -- Adam Pittser and Brett Smith? We'll get to find out at the first scrimmage on Tuesday, which is completely open to the public and the media. Well, mostly.
For many in the media and of those in the new media such as bloggers and fan message boards writers (pretend media), not having full access to watching a full practice is difficult. Members of the media don't like restrictions on how to do their job. Nobody really does. That is understandable. There's also some arrogance on our part as well.
Let's face it, we in the media like to pat ourselves on the back now and then. I think it might have something to do with the lack of monetary compensation. Or maybe we're just arrogant.
Regardless, as the saying goes, it is what it is. Christensen has his reasons for the closed practices and such and he is entitled to them. It was apparent when he was hired to take over for the jovial Joe Glenn, that he was not Joe Glenn. He'll do it his way and there is nothing wrong with that, despite the grumbling from the media and some fans.
So, the Wyoming media and fans will just have to be patient. We'll watch the first 20-30 minutes of practice, go take a nap or whatever, and (the media) will come back to talk to whomever we can talk to. We'll watch the scrimmages, report on what happened and move on to the actual game competition.
If the Cowboys start showing more wins than losses, can eventually contend for the title and go to bowl games, the discomfort and complaining of not being able to watch every play in practice will be eased just a bit.
Or not.
To borrow a line from Joe Walsh's song "Life's Been Good," "I can't complain but sometimes I still do ..." I think we can all relate.
And besides, I've got more jokes. Did you hear about the duck who went into the bar? ...
UW fooball coach Dave Christensen: "Who's there?
Wyoming media: "The media."
UW football coach Dave Christensen: "The media who?"
Wyoming media: "The media who want to watch a whole practice and talk to your freshmen quarterbacks."
Somehow, I thought there was going to be a better punch line.
Or how about this: "I think I'll go drive by the Wyoming football practice today."
I know what you're thinking, don't quit your day job just yet.
For many, Christensen's lockout of the media for a majority of the Cowboys' practices is no joke. There's only so much you can report on during stretching exercises and warming up.
In this modern sports reporting world, Twitter reports of every good play and every injury in practice are going to have to wait at UW football practice. Therein lies the problem for the modern sports reporter; if there's not 30 Twitter posts a day, the reporter is not doing his/her job. Damn you Twitter, anyway.
The media can come back after the practice to talk to Christensen, his coaches and most of his players (other than the freshmen quarterbacks).
That was the case about halfway through last season, during spring ball and late Thursday afternoon for the Cowboys first official practice of this season. Just what did the media learn from the first practice that they couldn't see?
"I think our athleticism really showed up today," said Christensen. "We obviously have a long way to go, but I was pleased with the tempo we practiced at today. I got a chance to see a lot of the young guys for the first time, and there is a lot of promise there.
"Our veterans have had a tremendous off season, and I think their leadership showed in their practice habits today. We are a relative young team, I think we have 60 or so kids who are sophomores or younger, so we have a number of young players -- not just freshmen -- who we need to have good camps.
"My first impressions for the first day, were positive, but it's certainly easier to see where players are at when you start putting on pads. We will be able to tell a lot more after Monday."
And what about the two freshmen QB's -- Adam Pittser and Brett Smith? We'll get to find out at the first scrimmage on Tuesday, which is completely open to the public and the media. Well, mostly.
For many in the media and of those in the new media such as bloggers and fan message boards writers (pretend media), not having full access to watching a full practice is difficult. Members of the media don't like restrictions on how to do their job. Nobody really does. That is understandable. There's also some arrogance on our part as well.
Let's face it, we in the media like to pat ourselves on the back now and then. I think it might have something to do with the lack of monetary compensation. Or maybe we're just arrogant.
Regardless, as the saying goes, it is what it is. Christensen has his reasons for the closed practices and such and he is entitled to them. It was apparent when he was hired to take over for the jovial Joe Glenn, that he was not Joe Glenn. He'll do it his way and there is nothing wrong with that, despite the grumbling from the media and some fans.
So, the Wyoming media and fans will just have to be patient. We'll watch the first 20-30 minutes of practice, go take a nap or whatever, and (the media) will come back to talk to whomever we can talk to. We'll watch the scrimmages, report on what happened and move on to the actual game competition.
If the Cowboys start showing more wins than losses, can eventually contend for the title and go to bowl games, the discomfort and complaining of not being able to watch every play in practice will be eased just a bit.
Or not.
To borrow a line from Joe Walsh's song "Life's Been Good," "I can't complain but sometimes I still do ..." I think we can all relate.
And besides, I've got more jokes. Did you hear about the duck who went into the bar? ...
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Sports talk takes a back seat
Just as I was getting ready to rant about the Denver sports radio talk on the Kyle Orton-Tim Tebow controversy on Wednesday, I got a little sidetracked.
As is the case every night that I am visiting my wife, Teresa, in the Colorado Acute Long Term Hospital in Denver, I make a food run (after she has eaten her hospital food). I think you know why. Besides, I have to eat.
Driving to Burger King up Sheridan Ave. to try out the BK Minis, a little dog is hit by a car at a very busy rush-hour intersection.
Just a minute before the accident, while stopped at the stoplight, I saw the dog, which is some sort of Terrier/Poodle mix, cross the street on the crosswalk. My first thought was that the dog itself pushed the button and waited for the walk sign to go on. The dog walked across the street with ease.
Getting out of my car in the Burger King parking lot, I hear a dog yelp and a person scream. I knew right then what had happened. The dog backtracked and tried to cross the busy intersection again. This time it wasn't so lucky.
I went to the intersection looking for the dog, just as two other men had, along with the distraught man and wife who accidentally hit the dog. I was expecting the worst.
The little dog was still alive but scared and limping badly, hiding in a bush by the BK parking lot. As we got closer, it moved to hide under a car. We couldn't get it to come out and it ran through the parking lot and up a sidewalk to some apartments.
It now appeared to be running normal, which was a relief. Yet, I know there's always a chance of internal injuries when an animal is hit by a car, so myself and another man went to look for it. The man and wife who hit the dog said they lived about five minutes away and would call the police and animal control. The poor lady was in tears; her husband said she is an animal lover. You can only imagine how she felt..
Just then about 10 kids and a lady came around the corner asking if we had lost a dog. Still scared, it ran into a yard and right into an apartment through an open front door. While they could speak English, the man in the apartment could not. They were able to translate to him what I was telling them, that the dog was hit by a car and the police had been called.
I went back to Burger King and got my food, with one eye on the parking lot, waiting for the police to arrive. They did about 10 minutes later and I was able to get an officer, who stood about 6-foot-5, burly and bald, to the house.
“Hola,” the man said as we approached his door. “Hola,” the officer responded. The man pointed to the dog who was obviously still scared but content to hide in the corner, although no one there had seen the dog before.
I left as the officer went to get the dog, barely stopping myself from following him into the apartment when I realized it was not my place to go in.
I'm guessing and hoping that the dog is OK. Hopefully, the dog is identified and it's owner is notified. There's no worse feeling for a pet owner when their pet disappears. Believe me, I know.
My 14-year-old Rat Terrier, Barney, went for a late-night walk about eight years ago and never came home. The Laramie Police Department dispatcher told me the next day that a small black and white dog was hit about two blocks from my apartment. I knew it was Barney. The person who hit him said he staggered to his feet after the impact and wandered into an open field. Barney had heart trouble, so I know he just went away to die. But never knowing for sure has bothered me to this day.
I'm also hoping that the man and woman who accidentally hit the dog knows that it will be OK and it wasn't their fault.
About a year ago when our Pug, Otis, had died, I took his body to the veterinarian. It was the Fourth of July and the office was closed. They opened for me and when I arrived two more cars pulled in with another dog that was critically injured when it chased a car and was hit when the driver didn't see it. The anguish on the man's face who hit the dog is something I will never forget. Even though the dog's owners were understanding and forgiving, it was little consolation to that man.
By now I'm thinking that Teresa is probably worried about me, as a 15-minute run for some burgers has taken about an hour. I turn up the radio and the sports talk is still about Orton and Tebow.
I turn the radio off.
Who starts at quarterback for the Broncos, at least for the time being, is the furthest from my mind.
As is the case every night that I am visiting my wife, Teresa, in the Colorado Acute Long Term Hospital in Denver, I make a food run (after she has eaten her hospital food). I think you know why. Besides, I have to eat.
Driving to Burger King up Sheridan Ave. to try out the BK Minis, a little dog is hit by a car at a very busy rush-hour intersection.
Just a minute before the accident, while stopped at the stoplight, I saw the dog, which is some sort of Terrier/Poodle mix, cross the street on the crosswalk. My first thought was that the dog itself pushed the button and waited for the walk sign to go on. The dog walked across the street with ease.
Getting out of my car in the Burger King parking lot, I hear a dog yelp and a person scream. I knew right then what had happened. The dog backtracked and tried to cross the busy intersection again. This time it wasn't so lucky.
I went to the intersection looking for the dog, just as two other men had, along with the distraught man and wife who accidentally hit the dog. I was expecting the worst.
The little dog was still alive but scared and limping badly, hiding in a bush by the BK parking lot. As we got closer, it moved to hide under a car. We couldn't get it to come out and it ran through the parking lot and up a sidewalk to some apartments.
It now appeared to be running normal, which was a relief. Yet, I know there's always a chance of internal injuries when an animal is hit by a car, so myself and another man went to look for it. The man and wife who hit the dog said they lived about five minutes away and would call the police and animal control. The poor lady was in tears; her husband said she is an animal lover. You can only imagine how she felt..
Just then about 10 kids and a lady came around the corner asking if we had lost a dog. Still scared, it ran into a yard and right into an apartment through an open front door. While they could speak English, the man in the apartment could not. They were able to translate to him what I was telling them, that the dog was hit by a car and the police had been called.
I went back to Burger King and got my food, with one eye on the parking lot, waiting for the police to arrive. They did about 10 minutes later and I was able to get an officer, who stood about 6-foot-5, burly and bald, to the house.
“Hola,” the man said as we approached his door. “Hola,” the officer responded. The man pointed to the dog who was obviously still scared but content to hide in the corner, although no one there had seen the dog before.
I left as the officer went to get the dog, barely stopping myself from following him into the apartment when I realized it was not my place to go in.
I'm guessing and hoping that the dog is OK. Hopefully, the dog is identified and it's owner is notified. There's no worse feeling for a pet owner when their pet disappears. Believe me, I know.
My 14-year-old Rat Terrier, Barney, went for a late-night walk about eight years ago and never came home. The Laramie Police Department dispatcher told me the next day that a small black and white dog was hit about two blocks from my apartment. I knew it was Barney. The person who hit him said he staggered to his feet after the impact and wandered into an open field. Barney had heart trouble, so I know he just went away to die. But never knowing for sure has bothered me to this day.
I'm also hoping that the man and woman who accidentally hit the dog knows that it will be OK and it wasn't their fault.
About a year ago when our Pug, Otis, had died, I took his body to the veterinarian. It was the Fourth of July and the office was closed. They opened for me and when I arrived two more cars pulled in with another dog that was critically injured when it chased a car and was hit when the driver didn't see it. The anguish on the man's face who hit the dog is something I will never forget. Even though the dog's owners were understanding and forgiving, it was little consolation to that man.
By now I'm thinking that Teresa is probably worried about me, as a 15-minute run for some burgers has taken about an hour. I turn up the radio and the sports talk is still about Orton and Tebow.
I turn the radio off.
Who starts at quarterback for the Broncos, at least for the time being, is the furthest from my mind.
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